The prevention of smuggling and the trade in counterfeits was at thecentre of an online conference held by the Government Portal on October31, with a focus on ensuring the health of the market.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Head of the National SteeringCommittee on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud andFake Commodities, called upon ministries, sectors and localities to stepup their efforts to prosecute violators.

DeputyHead of the Market Management Department under the Ministry of Industryand Trade, Nguyen Trong Tin, said fake and low-quality products are sodominant on the market due to overlaps in legal documents; a lack ofmanpower and equipment; loose coordination between sectors; poor localawareness-raising campaigns; and more sophisticated smuggling tricks.

He reported that the ministry uncovered more than63,000 violations and collected fines worth 187 billion VND (8.7 millionUSD) during the first eight months of this year.

Meanwhile, the General Department of Customs is increasing its role inpreventing smuggling via border gates, air and sea ports, Deputy HeadNguyen Van Can said.

With regard to the upcomingtraditional Tet holiday, the department would intensify measures toprevent counterfeit goods from entering the country, he added.

The Prime Minister already assigned specific tasks to ministries,sectors, and local authorities to implement measures against tradefraud.

Participants also discussed a number ofissues relating to administrative reform in the customs sector andsolutions to contraband goods and intellectual property infringement.-VNA